The daily herald. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1886-1887, 1887-05-18
WEDNESDAY,, MAY IS, 1887
THE NAVY FARCE.

IL is ditlcult 10 discuss Win inOuei-
alton the costly farce Of playing at
naval dignity being conducted by the
Hawaiian Government Soon after the
purchase of the old hulk now fitted out
for a cruise, Ministers knew that they
had been badly taken in and done for
in the purchase, or rather that, by their
meddling in business that they were
ignorant Of they had foisted on the
country an expensive white elephant.
Under the circumstance Of such knowl-
edge of their bungling, il might have
been supposed that the Ministry should
have tried to make the best Of their
bad bargain. They should have adopt
ed a businesslike course in having the
necessary repairs and alterations made
on the vessel, and these should have
been on less elaborate scale in view
of the admitted fact that the acquisi-
ton was only temporary concern.
There should have been no expense OF
officers, uniforms, festivities, wasteful
boy labor from the Reformatory School,
carriage hire for several officials who
knew nothing practically of the
lob in fitting back and forth dozen
times day, between the Foreign Office
and the vessel, or for a hundred other
needless purposes, until the vessel was
nearly ready for sea. Had the bust
ness been gone about Systematically,
specifications should have been drawn
up and the work put up to public
tender. In that case competent
shipwright employing his own men
would have had the vessel transformed
in any essential manner within week
or ten days, at cost of thousands
where the work as it stands has cost
tens of thousands, after dragging along
for months The training ship might
have been preserved from being cen
ter round which gyrated the most Of
fensiye bumptiousness, dissipation and
rowdyism. There has been success
sion Of scenes about the various i'm
provised dock yards, ever since this
naval folly began, which has made ii
the leading disgrace of the country,
next to the opium scandal A training
shipl Goodness, what a training has
the initiation of the boys into Hawa-
ian naval discipline beenl Slugging
matches among their appointed trainers
and exemplars, gin and beer guzzling all
round them day and night. The
scenes of Monday night were only the
elimination of a long disreputable
series. Heaven only knows the sort Of
training the boys will receive when out
on the high sea, far from police juris-
diction or any refuge from the pande-
monium inaugurated on the vessel IN
port.
In view of what has been already
seen Of the Governments wild venture
into naval affairs, it is high time thai
the community Of taxpayers took Q
decided stand against the folly pro
ceeding further. Let the people take
united, prompt and firm action in civ
ing the bungling Ministry to under
stand that the colossal farce Of theiI
foreign policy" must stop before il
does more mischief or produces more
absolute waste. Pack the Reforma
tory School wards bag and baggage
back to that institution, sell
the naval uniforms for skating
carnival costumes, or stow them away
in camphor for the officers of the
respectable revenue cutter proposed tc
be bought Put the Kalmiloa in
charge of merchant ship master and
a crew Of able-bodied seamen, and lei
her make the trip to Samoa and Other
groups, doing some trading until she
can be sold-cheap it would be to gel
rid of the thing at quarter her cost to
the Government Recall the Ha
walian Embassy, making fools Of them
selves between conflicting interests and